Balloons spring to life on Stamford streets

Maggie Gordon

Updated 4:34 pm, Sunday, November 18, 2012

Basil Lintern of Stamford gets a high-five from a woman on stilts as his father, Tom, gets a photo during Saturday's Balloon Inflation Party near the intersection of Summer and Hoyt Streets in Stamford on November 17, 2012.
Photo: Lindsay Niegelberg

Mr. Potato Head appears to step on a worker as the balloon is inflated during Saturday's Balloon Inflation Party near the intersection of Summer and Hoyt Streets in Stamford on November 17, 2012.
Photo: Lindsay Niegelberg

Tobin Guttman, 4, and his mother, Carrie, of Southport, watch as balloons are inflated during Saturday's Balloon Inflation Party near the intersection of Summer and Hoyt Streets in Stamford on November 17, 2012.
Photo: Lindsay Niegelberg

Valerie Lenhart, 10 months, looks unfazed by a juggler on a unicycle as she is held my her father, Eric, during Saturday's Balloon Inflation Party near the intersection of Summer and Hoyt Streets in Stamford on November 17, 2012.
Photo: Lindsay Niegelberg

Onlookers watch balloons as they are inflated during Saturday's Balloon Inflation Party near the intersection of Summer and Hoyt Streets in Stamford on November 17, 2012.
Photo: Lindsay Niegelberg

Onlookers watch balloons as they are inflated during Saturday's...

Jennifer Sandoval, 4, touches the finger of Fred Flinstone during Saturday's Balloon Inflation Party near the intersection of Summer and Hoyt Streets in Stamford on November 17, 2012.
Photo: Lindsay Niegelberg

Charlotte Lupinacci, 4, gets a ride on the shoulders of her father, Tom, as her sister, Elizabeth, stands nearby while they watch Fred Flinstone get inflated during Saturday's Balloon Inflation Party near the intersection of Summer and Hoyt Streets in Stamford on November 17, 2012.
Photo: Lindsay Niegelberg

Emily Houle, 3, of New Canaan, right, points as Fred Flintsone is inflated during Saturday's Balloon Inflation Party near the intersection of Summer and Hoyt Streets in Stamford on November 17, 2012.
Photo: Lindsay Niegelberg

The 50-foot tall cave man came to life slowly, his body morphing from a flat pool of colorful vinyl on the asphalt of Hoyt Street to an identifiable page right out of history as dozens of children looked on.

First the foot. Then another. Then a leopard-print tunic started taking form.

And after a while, Fred Flintstone was standing tall and proud at the corner of Summer and Hoyt streets.

Daniel Mihok knew exactly who the balloon was going to be way before the 6,000 cubic feet of helium started pumping through Flintstone's body. He and his mother have a tradition of walking along the sidewalks of Hoyt and Franklin streets and guessing who the flattened balloons would turn into. He was right on 20 of 21 accounts this year; he mistakenly guessed that the Mighty Mouse balloon, which will be used as an understudy, was Mickey Mouse. But that's OK, since his mother didn't get it right either.

"We've been doing this for at least four years," said Daniel who reminisced about seeing Miss Piggy's likeness blown up a few years ago.

He's grown with the parade, Linda said. While Daniel's favorite balloon is now Mr. Potato Head, Thomas the Tank Engine had been at the top of Daniel's list when he was younger. And while Daniel has grown over the years, and his tastes have changed, Linda said she still treasures the tradition of watching the balloons spring to life on Stamford's streets.

Traditions are a big part of the inflation party, which is in its 14th year.

Craig Pucci's 5-year-old daughter Sophia sat perched on his shoulders, capped in a powder pink hat, and clutching a newly purchased stuffed unicorn, her eyes glued to Flintstone as he took his shape. Pucci and his wife are both teachers in Stamford, and the family treks down from their home in Trumbull every year to see the balloons inflate.

For the Pucci family, the annual excursion is a beloved tradition, and Sophia doesn't know what a November would even be like without the inflation party. They've been coming since shortly after she was born, her father explained as Sophia rattled off a list of balloons she'd beheld over the course of the afternoon. She'd spotted the Lorax, Elmo and Kermit the Frog, who was still working his way to life a few yards away. But Fred Flintstone, he was the most exciting part of the whole spectacle, she said through a smile that revealed a missing front tooth.

"It's a lot of fun. They've been enthusiastic and excited about it all day," Craig Pucci said. In addition to the excitement of getting to see favorite characters in real life, Sophia gets to take home a new toy each year from one of the vendors on the streets. This year it was the unicorn.

It's a nice chance to get to spend some quality time with his wife and daughters, but it's also an opportunity for him to wear a smile of his own, he said.

"Fred Flintstone is probably my favorite balloon too," he said. Sophia and her sister watch the cartoon every morning as they get ready for school, so seeing the twinkle-toed caveman in real life is an extra-special treat for them, Craig Pucci said.